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Introduction Within the community of historical fencers attempting to reconstruct 17th century Italian rapier, it is generally understood that the use of counterattacks should be emphasized. While counterattacks indeed feature prominently in the major texts of the period, understanding the use of parries is by no means less important. In fact, there are many situations in which a parry is a better (or the only) option. This paper will analyze the usage of parries within the texts of Ridolfo Capoferro and Nicoletto Giganti in an attempt to gain a better understanding of the types of parries which were used as well the tactical contexts in which were typically deployed. Before beginning, though, we need to understand the difference between a parry and a counterattack. While there is no equivalent Italian term for counterattack,[1] 17th century rapier texts frequently mentionattacks that are made in the tempo of the opponent’s attack – what would today be considered counterattacks. In Barbasetti’s book on foil, he further breaks down these counteroffensive actions into active and passive counterattacks.[2] The active counterattack seeks to neutralize the opponent’s attack as early as possible, preventing him or her from completing it. The disengagement in time, which is made while the adversary attempts to find the sword while stepping into measure, is an example of an active counterattack.[3] The passive counterattack is used in opposition to the final movement of the attack. Rather than preventing the completion of the attack, it must prevent a double hit by deflecting the […]